Profile: Biokemik (Biosyncaucho) – Greenventing chemistry
Type of post: COMPANY PROFILE.
During the official presentation of the
Handbook on Biorefineries in Spain that was held in September last year, I had the opportunity to meet Jesús
Torrecilla, Head of technology assets of Energy and Environment in TecnaliaVentures. Tecnalia Research & Innovation is the largest private research and
technology entity in Spain and one of the largest in Europe and
TecnaliaVentures, as ventures builders, is the responsible of generating impact,
transforming its technology assets into sustainable and profitable business. At
one point of the conversation, a project with potential to bolster the green
chemicals market in Spain came up. That was the seed of this company profile
that I prepared with the kind cooperation of Jesús.
Background
Biokemik (Biosyncaucho S.L.) was established in May 2015 to scale-up processes developed in the
laboratory and to market high value chemicals from renewable feedstocks. It is
a technology-based company supported by the strategic vision and the commitment
of Tecnalia. In fact, this research and technology entity transferred the
intangible assets and a cash contribution to create Biokemik (Biosyncaucho
S.L.).
The project was endorsed by Omega, proofs of
concept capital fund, managed by Tecnalia Ventures and supported by Kereon
Partners (private
equity fund that joined the undertaking). Although the trading is still called
Biosyncaucho S.L., the brand name is Biokemik since the end of 2017. The
company consists of an experienced team that has successfully developed and
launched several spin-offs and a group of researchers with expertise in
chemical technologies.
The name of Biosyncaucho comes of the origin of
the initiative, focused on the generation of 1,3-butadiene, monomer of the
rubber (“caucho” in Spanish) synthesis, but the production of this polymer has
never fallen within its scope. Additionally, there are other two relevant
factors for the name change: the international vocation of the Society and the
fact that Biosyncaucho is a chemical platform with four chemical products
targeted towards different markets (some of them are not directly related to
the rubber market). The new brand name, Biokemik, is aligned with the current
business oriented to renewable molecules and the corporate claim “Greenventing
Chemistry” evinces that all of the process involved in the technology are groundbreaking
and proprietary.
Team
Jesús Torrecilla (Chairman of the Board of
Directors) is a chemist with 30 years of professional career in the sector. He
possess a long term expertise in the development and leadership of R&D
projects on processes and chemical technologies, as well as in the R&D
management through his participation or leadership of scientific excellence
networks, technological platforms and as head of the department of sustainable
chemistry. Also, he has wide experience in the market transfer of new
technology both creating new technology-based companies and licensing
technology.
José Tesán is the Secretary of the Board of
Directors in behalf of Kereon Partners. He is civil engineer and investment
officer. He has vast experience in the creation and management of new business.
José Ramón Ochoa (Lead Researcher in Biokemik and
Tecnalia) is PhD in Chemistry with MBA. Author of books, patents and numerous
scientific publications in the field of the chemical technology.
Tomás Roncal (Senior Researcher) is PhD in
Chemistry and specialist in fermentation processes. Author of several patents
and scientific publications.
Francisca Rio (Senior Researcher) is PhD in
Chemistry and author of several patents and scientific publications.
Walter Ramírez (Business Development Director) PhD
in Science. He has participated in the establishment of companies and
technological centres. He is author of patents and publications.
Process technology
and products
Biokemik’s technology enables to generate
several chemical products of commercial interest from non-food biomass (also
some industrial cheap byproducts are suitable) via mixed fermentative and
chemical processes. CECT (Spanish Type Culture Collection) proprietary microorganisms
(Biological Risk 1) are used in the fermentative processes. The competitive
advantages of the Biokemik’s technology are: high selectivity, high yield, high
efficiency and low manufacturing costs.
The processes and the uses of each product are
summarized in the table below:
Product
|
Process
|
Uses
|
Bio-1,3-butadiene
|
Catalytic
dehydrogenation of 2,3-butanediol.
|
– Thermo-plastic
elastomers: styrene block copolymers (SBS, SEBS), SBR latex.
– Nylon.
– Fine
Chemicals: sulfolane, laurolactame, THF.
– Synthetic
rubber: styrene-butadiene rubber, nitrile rubber, liquid rubbers.
– Styrenic
plastics: ABS, HIPS, MBS.
– Epoxy resins.
|
Bio-2,3-butanediol
|
Biomass fermentation.
|
Pesticides,
chemical products, pharmaceutical products and plastics like TPUs.
|
Bio- methyl-ethyl-ketone
|
Chemical
process or electro-reduction from acetoin or 2,3-butanediol.
|
It is a
solvent used for multiple industrial applications due to its low viscosity,
high evaporation rate and hydrocarbons miscibility.
|
Bio-acetoin
|
Biomass fermentation.
|
It is a
fine chemical used as specialty additive.
|
Figure 1. Diagram of the propietary technology
of Biokemik (courtesy of Biokemik)
The IP of the technology is well-protected by
the following patents:
ES
2352633 B8
|
Mutant
strain of Lactococcuslactislactis and method for the industrial production of
acetoin.
|
Priority date: 04/08/2009.
Publication date: 20/02/2012.
|
WO 2016012634 A1
|
Method
for manufacturing 2,3-butanediol by acetoin hydrogenation.
|
Priority date: 23/07/2014.
Publication date: 28/01/2016.
|
WO 2016097122 A1
|
Method
for manufacturing 2,3-butanediol by acetoin electro-reduction.
|
Priority date: 18/12/2014.
Publication date: 23/06/2016.
|
WO2016142419
(A1)
|
Metabolite
production by lactic acid bacterium.
|
Priority date: 03/09/2015.
|
PCT/EP/2017/068117
|
Strain to
produce 2,3-butanediol and other metabolites.
|
Priority date: 10/07/2016.
|
PCT/EP2017/073021
|
Electrochemical
method for manufacturing methyl-ethyl-ketone.
|
Priority date: 14/09/2016.
|
The three microorganisms involved in the
processes are patented and CECT registered. Additionaly, as part of the IP
strategy, four processes have been deposited before a notary, registered as
industrial know-how.
Pilot plat and demo
plant
Biosyncaucho operates since late 2015 a pilot
plant with a production capacity of 300 kg/y. This facility has allow to
validate the technology in the first stage of the scale-up and produce small
quantities to carry out early market tests with the different biomolecules.
The pilot plant has all the process required to
the generation of the whole portfolio of products with commercial
specifications, from the reaction and the fermentation to the downstream phase.
The conceptual, basic and detail engineering
for the construction of a semi-industrial flexible and safety plant at
demonstration scale is already available. The biorefinery will have a capacity
of 100 ton/year of acetoin, equivalent to 85 ton/year of 2,3-BDO. It will be a
singular facility that will enable the performance of scale-up test and the
validation of another type of biomolecules.
Figure 2. Model of the new plant (courtesy of Biokemik)
Future perspectives
At the present moment, Biokemik is in a period
of capital increases and searching for smart partners, preferably from the
industrial sector, that create process synergies and provide a market channel
to strength its growth. So far, the technical and business roadmap defined in
the establishment of the society is being executed without deviations.
The plant will be built by the end of 2019 and,
after a testing phase, will allow to industrialise the technology from the year
2020. In fact, if the negotiations underway with several “driver” companies of
the involved fields, are successfully completed the semi-industrial plant could
be increase its capacity to 200 ton/year, becoming in a profitable industrial
unit. Subsequently, the business will be extended through new plants or under
the model of partial licenses (by products and geographical areas).
